Friday, May 5, 2017

Lake Havasu City, Arizona and on to the Grand Canyon

It was quite a drive from Ridgecrest, California to Lake Havasu City, Arizona---there were a lot of changes in elevation along the way. We finally made it to Havasu and found 3T's RV Products and Parts. We had an appointment for Sol. When we arrived, we weren't sure how long we would be in the area--the technician needed to evaluate the bedroom slide mechanism to know what repairs were needed. The following morning, Sol was pulled into a bay and evaluated. Yes, the mounts were allowing the motors to turn and causing the slide to jump. Not only that, but a screw at the top of the rear slide had been digging into the side and scraped the paint! Thankfully, 3T's had new and improved mounts to install in the slide. The installation would take about 4-5 hours and then Sol would be ours again. Bob and I decided to take care of some maintenance on the car---oil change--and just look around town. We ate lunch at Hangar 24 Brewery. If you are ever in the area, it is a good place for lunch and is located at the airport, across the road from The Shops of Havasu.

Of course in our time looking around town, I forgot to take the gratuitous picture of the main tourist attraction in Lake Havasu City--London Bridge. When we got Sol back, we needed to stay at 3T's for one more night so the silicone could set. As we spent the night in Havasu, we plotted the next few days of our adventure.

Bob likes to drive Historic Route US 66 whenever it is available. This trip we drove north of Lake Havasu City to Kingman where we caught Route 66 and headed east toward Seligman. We stopped at Grand Canyon Caverns to look around.
The back room in the small store had lots of memorabilia from the 50's and 60's. We enjoyed looking around inside, but there was a definite chill in the air outside! When we left Havasu, the temp was HOT! Since we traveled north and gained altitude, the temp was much cooler.
After eating lunch in Sol, it was time to move on down the road to Williams, Arizona---Gateway to the Grand Canyon.
We had not planned a place to stay so we took the first available which turned out to be a Passport America Park--Grand Canyon Railway RV Park.
 After little or no thought we decided to take the train to Grand Canyon the following day. Before boarding the train, there was a shootout at the corral near the tracks. As with most shows of this type, it was pretty corny.
The Grand Canyon was breathtaking as always! The changing light from the clouds and the sun changed the view each time you looked.
Bob and I walked the rim trail for most of our time. We came across Big Red, the Arizona Cardinals mascot, near Hopi House. He was waiting for the NFL to record the Cardinals draft choice.
After the photo op, Bob and I continued along the trail. We had 3 1/2 hours to explore before boarding the train for our return trip to Williams.

 From Kolb House, we got a good picture of El Tovar, the original lodge. We ate our lunch in the lounge of El Tovar.
 We enjoyed our trip to Grand Canyon, but were glad to board the train for our return trip.
The next day Bob and I walked around the town of Williams which was once bustling on Route 66--that is until I-40 bypassed the town. Now the town has been revived with all the nostalgia that accompanies Route 66.
 Many of the buildings are original.
 There were quite a few old vehicles around town. My brother would have enjoyed looking at this old bronco.
 Everywhere you looked there was something recalling Route 66's glory days.
 This sign was in front of the Route 66 Cafe.
 Williams even has a gas station museum.
Our stay in Williams was enjoyable, but it was time to head east...not much farther, as our next stop was ........




......to be continued!

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